Refrigerator car



Aug. 29, 1939. G. A. sTEuBER REFRIGERATOR CAR Filed April 10, v19159 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Gwfg'eA. Steuben ug- 29, 1939- G. A. s'rEuBER REFRIGERATOR CAR Filed April l0, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 nooo 00100 i. nooo Geore/A. Sl'euber.

REFRIGERATOR CAR Filed April l0, 1959 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 dl. n lW i :l 1 i! i @ii V10 'ih l H F: 2q: u mi 1 E l1 i a: l 2 I 1 l I9 gmc/vwo@ Q11 '20 31g George Seuber.

G. A. STEUBER REFRIGERATOR CAR Aug. 29, 1939.

'5 sheets-sheet 4 Filed April l0, 1939 s ceofgefxeaba @www G. A. STEUBER REFRIGERATOR CAR Aug. 29, 1939.

Filed April l0, 1939 5 Sheets-*Sheet 5 vGeorge, A. S'-eu6er.

Patented Aug.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE REFBIGEBA'I'OR CAR According to my George A. Stecher, Pennen,

N. Y., asslgnor to Despatch Shops, Inc., a corporation of New York Application April 10, 1939, Serial No. 267,134

Claims. (Cl. 10S-376) o side walls of the ice chamber flush with the side invention the refrigerator car ice chamber bulkhead is so attached to the car that it may be moved out of position for inspection or repair. of the ice chamber, also to leave the car free from end to end to enable the shipper to load the car to full capacity with flour and certain metals and other lading, while not requiring refrigeration, does require protection from dampness and the that such laden is like; and it has been found more completely protected in the tightly built and insulated refrigerator cars than in other types of cars.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a bulhead for refrigerator cars adjustable as a unit by means of a hoist and means to hold it safely in an adjusted position.

Another object of my invention is to house the bulkhead operating hoist above the car ceiling, thus leaving the inside of the car free from obstruction, thereby protecting the hoist from moisture and dirt which may collect in the car.

Another object of housing the hoist above the car ceiling is that I am thus enabled to leave the car ceiling a'nd inside wall sheathing flush throughout the car, which not alone adds to the inside appearance of the car but leaves the walls and ceiling free fro m obstructions which may interfere with loading or damage goods packed in the car.

Another obj ect of my invention is to provide a `seat for the bottom edge portion of the bulkhead, ilush with the floor of the car, which positively prevents any movement of the lower edge of the bulkhead exce 3 movements of the b pt the raising and lowering ulkhead.

refrigerator car wit for raising and low h a unit bulkhead with means ering it as a unit in a vertical and horizontal direction without traversing the space in the car except near the ceiling of the car.

Another obj ect of door in the ceiling head hoist can be my invention is to provide a of the car whereby the bulkreached, inspected, repaired and oiled when necessary.

'Another object of my invention is to provide means connecting the ceiling door with the automatic safety bulkhead lock whereby when the ceiling door is in open position the safety lock is moved to inoperative position whereupon the bulkhead may be moved by the' operation of the hoist.

Another object ofmy invention is to have the walls of the car.

Another object of my invention is to provide the ceiling door with a receptacle for the chain of the hoist; and with these and other objects in view, my invention consists of the parts and combination of parts herein described.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a detail perspective interior view of the ice bunker end of a refrigerator car embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the same.

ceiling door and safety lock.

The reference numeral l designates a refrigerator car of any desired construction having a lat- 25 tice oor 2 and an ice bunker 3 having a suitable drain l.

The ice bunker is provided with a perforated lining 5 spaced from the imperforate end and side walls 6, l, thus leaving a space between the lining and wall for air circulation. Suitable ice trays 8 are provided for the bunker which may be supported the desired distance above the bottom of the bunker, according to the amount of ice to be placed in the bunker. The perforated lining sheets on the opposite sides of the bunker are positioned so that they will be flush with the wall sheathing 9.

At the front of the bunker 3 vertically disposed tracks lll are secured diametrically to each other on the side walls of the car, and at the bottom of these tracks I countersink in the iloor of the car a bulk head seat H extending transversely of the car.

A track l2 is secured to each side wall of the car near the car ceiling I3, said tracks having a stop Il at one end while the-other end of these tracks are gradually increased in width at the other end as at l5, the lower wall I6 of the track being curved downwardly and gradually merging with the outer wall of the vertical track I0, as

clearly shown in the drawings.

The lower wall of the track I2 is provided with bbl't openings l1 and I8 to'bejhereinafter referred to.

A bulkhead I9, which may be of any desired construction, is designed to slide in the trackways III and I2, and is shown in Figure 2 in its lowered or closed position, and in Figure 4 in its elevated position, said bulkhead being provided with guiding rollers 2 9. In its lowered or closed position the bottom edge portion of the bulkhead is seated in the seat II which positively prevents any movement of the base of the bulkhead except, of course, its vertical movement.

'I'he bulkhead is provided on its inner face near the bottom with an eye 2 I-which is secured to the bulkhead by means of the plate 22 held in position by means of the rivets 23.

A cable 24 is secured at one end to the eye 2I, thence passes upwardly back oi' the bulkhead through a ferrule 24a in the ceiling I3 ofthe car, thence over a pulley 25 to a chain hoist 2l to which its other end is operatively conected,"the chain hoist being operated by means ofthe chain v 21 which hangs down,v as shown in dotted lines in Figure 4a, into the car when the 'bulkhead is to be operated.

A safety catch 28 is plvotally mounted as at 29 to a plate 39 secured to the ceiling I3 of the car and within and at the top of the bunker, as clearly shown in Figure 2, said safety catch having a bulkhead stop 3i at its free. end. This safety catch is connected at 32 to.a cable 33. which cable' extends over a pulley 34, thence along the underface of the ceiling -of the:car through a conduit 35, thence upward through a ferrule 36 through the car ceiling I3 over a pulley 31, the free end of the cable being attached by means of'the staple 33 to a ceiling door 39, as clearly shown in Figure 4a. With the parts in position, shown in Figure 2, the 'ceiling door 39 is normally closed, leaving the safety hook inthe position shown in Figure 2. However, 'when the ceiling door-39 Iisf lowered to the position shown in dotted lines, Figure 4a, the safety hookis moved rearwardly ixnthe direction of the arrows, shown in Figure 3, because of the pulling of the ceiling door 39 on the cable 33.

When the ceiling door 39 is in the lowered position shown in Figures 1 and 4a the chain hoist is operated by means of the chain 21, which operation pulls on the cable 24, which, in turn. pulls the bulkhead I9 upwardly in the vertical tracks III, andin continued movement the lower rollers 20 guide the upper end of the bulkheady on to the tracks I2 until the bulkhead assumes the horizontal position-shown in Figure 4. When the bulkheadis in this position the ceiling door 39 is closed thus permitting the cable 33 to slack whereupon the counterweight safety catch 23 assumes the position shown in Figure 4 by gravity, the safety catch straddling the bottom of bulkhead 4I and the stop 3| functions to move into engagement with the lower end portion of the bulkhead 3Ia in the event that thefbulkhead, for any reason, attem'pts to slide rearwardly on the tracks I2, in which case the stop.3I would engage the projection 3Ia of the bulkhead and thus prevent further movement of the bulkhead toward closing position. I regard this safety catch Vas.

an important feature because in the past bulkheads have been known to close accidentally as a result of which operators have been injured.

The bulkhead is raised and lowered as a unit, and by means of the chain hoist it may be'raised` to any height that may be desired for purposes of inspection. As a further safeguard against the bulkhead being accidentally closed I .pro-

vide it with st op bolts 40 which, when the bulkhead is in the elevatedI position shown in Figtion of the bulkhead is ure 4, engage suitable bolt openings I1 and I8 of the track I2, and when in lowered position these stop bolts engage suitable bolt openings in the side walls of the car.

As will be seen from Figure 3, the lower pormore or less wedge shape as at 4I thereby providing a snug iit with the track seat II in the oor of the car.

The ceiling door 39 is provided with a back or other receptacle 42 in which the main portion of the hoist chain 21 is housed when they ceiling door 39 is in a closed position, shown in Figure 4a whereby the chainis protected above the ceiling of the car from moisture, et cetera, when the chain hoist is not in operation.

A substantial metal brace 43 is positioned at the top of the bunker, and extends the full width of the car. it being reinforced by a plurality of pressed steel gussets 39.

As will be seen, the chain hoist is positioned between the ceiling and the roof of the car and is thus protected from moisture and dirt which might collect in the body and permits iiushing the side wall and ceiling of the car and adds to the interior appearance of the car by being s'o concealed. It is still accessible for repairs and such work as oiling, if necessary.

Refrigerator cars by reason of their construction to resist the elements are preferred by shippers of flour, et cetera, for. this reason, because there is no danger of the commodity being damaged by dampness en route. In such shipments the bulkhead is raised to the overhead position as shown in Figure 4 and is held safely in such position by means of the stop bolts 4 0 independent of the cable 24 and safeguarded against possible movement by safety catch 28, thus leaving the inside of the car free of obstruction from end to end, and as the perforated side sheets of the ice bunker are flush with the inner side sheathing of the car loading is facilitated to the full capacity of the car. Again, when used for such shipment the ice tray 8 is placed in the bottom of the ice bunker so that the bottom of the bunker will be flush with the oor of the car.

It will be seen from the above that there are a minimum of mechanical gadgets in my construction to be operated by hand, or left to the discretion of an operator, thus giving a maximum insurance against the operator being injured by accidental movement of parts.

What I claim is:

1. In a refrigerator car, an ice bunker, tracks extending vertically in front of the bunker, and

horizontally near the ceiling of the car, a unit bulkhead movable on said tracks, a lifting hoist mounted between the car ceiling and roof, a cable connecting said hoist and bulkhead to move the bulkhead on said tracks, and means to hold the-bulkhead on the horizontal tracks against accidental movement.

2. In a refrigerator car, an ice bunker, a unit bulkhead hoisting mechanism mounted between the car ceiling and roof., means connecting the bulkhead and hoisting mechanism, a door in the car ceiling sealing the hoisting mechanism from the body of the car proper, and through which the hoisting mechanism may be operated Vfrom the body of the car.

3. In a refrigerator car, an ice bunker, a unit bulkhead hoisting mechanism mounted between the car ceiling and roof means connecting the bulkhead and hoisting mechanism,a door in the car ceiling sealing the hoisting mechanism from the body of the car proper, through which the hoisting mechanism may be operated from the body of the car, a gravity safety catch to hold the bulkhead in open position against accidental movement, and connecting said catch and door 5v4 whereby when the lsaid door is in closed position the said catch is free to move to its operative position.

1 4. In a refrigerator car, an ice bunker, vertical tracks in front of said bunker, and extending hor- 10 izontally on the car side walls near the ceiling of the car, a unit bulkhead movable on said tracks, a hoist positioned between the car ceiling and roof, a cable connecting the said hoist and bulkhead, a door in the car ceiling through which 15 the hoist is operated, a safety catch, a cable con-V necting saidcatch and door, whereby when the door is in closed position the catch is free to move into operative position to hold the bulkhead in position on the horizontal track against accidental movement.

5. In a refrigerator car, an ice bunker, vertical tracks in front of said bunker, and extending horizontally on the car side walls near the ceiling of the car, a unit bulkhead movable on said tracks.-

- move into operative Position to hold the bulkhead in position on the horizontal track against accidental movement, and a receptacle secured to said door to hold the hoist operating means when not in use.

GEORGE A. STEUBER. 

